A system for use with ultrasound procedures including an ultrasound control and/or imaging system which has a microminiature motor, a rotatable reflector and a stationary ultrasound transducer. The transducer may be placed between the motor and the reflector, so as to eliminate the need for placement of wires or other artifact-creating items in the path of ultrasound signals. In particular embodiments, such systems can be incorporated in or retrofitted to commercially standard diagnostic and therapeutic catheters or other housings. Examples can be used in variety of ultrasound procedures, e.g. to perform intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for use with ultrasound procedures comprising: a transducer connected to a support for maintaining the transducer in position, the transducer adapted to emit and/or receive ultrasound signals substantially along an axis; a microminiature motor connected to a shaft and configured to rotate the shaft about the axis; a reflector connected to the shaft, the reflector positioned with respect to the transducer to reflect the ultrasound signals in a direction non-parallel to the axis, wherein at least the reflector is in a housing, and wherein no echogenic material is both within the housing and within the path of the ultrasound signals; and wherein the shaft and support are positioned concentrically and at least a part of the support is positioned concentrically inward relative to the microminiature motor, so that the shaft is rotatable relative to the support about the axis.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing is around the transducer and the reflector, and wherein the support is fixed in a stationary position relative to the housing.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one electrical wire connected to the transducer, wherein the reflector is angled with respect to the axis of the transducer so that a reflection direction from the reflector is non-parallel to the axis, and wherein the wire does not cross the reflection direction.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the reflector forms an angle of between about 10 and 84 degrees with respect to the axis.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microminiature motor is a piezoelectric motor.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microminiature motor is an electromagnetic motor.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microminiature motor, reflector, and transducer are configured to be positioned in a medical device, configured for internal use.
8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising one or more electrical wires connected to the transducer and one or more electrical wires connected to the microminiature motor.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the one or more electrical wires is housed within the support.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein: the housing contains the reflector and transducer, the housing has a leading end, and the reflector is positioned between the leading end and the transducer.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a single element transducer.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transducer, reflector and motor are sized and configured for intravascular usage.
13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transducer has a width dimension non-parallel to the axis and the shaft has a diameter that is smaller than the transducer's width dimension.
14. An internal ultrasound system comprising: a transducer connected to a support; a reflector within a housing to reflect a signal from and/or to the transducer, wherein the reflector is connected to a shaft and spaced from the transducer, wherein no echogenic material is both within the housing and within the path of the signal and; and a microminiature motor connected to the shaft and configured to cause the shaft to rotate; wherein the microminiature motor, reflector, and transducer are configured to be positioned in a medical device having a leading end and adapted for internal medical use, and wherein the reflector is closer to the leading end than the transducer is to the leading end.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the microminiature motor is a piezoelectric motor having a size of approximately 0.3 mm to 4 mm.
16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the microminiature motor is an electromagnetic motor having a size of approximately 0.3 mm to 4 mm.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the shaft and support are positioned concentrically and wherein the shaft is rotatable about an axis relative to the support.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the support is fixed in a stationary position relative to the housing.
19. The system of claim 14 , wherein at least a part of the support is positioned concentrically inward relative to the microminiature motor.
20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the transducer is a single element transducer.
21. The system of claim 14 , further comprising one or more electrical wires connected to the transducer and one or more electrical wires connected to the microminiature motor.
22. The system of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the one or more electrical wires is housed within the support.
23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the shaft is rotatable about an axis coaxial with the support, wherein the reflector generates a viewing angle approximately perpendicular to the axis, and wherein at each angular position of the reflector the viewing angle does not cross any electrical conductors.
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October 11, 2013
October 4, 2016
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